That Who Sings Last

Ok, it is that time of week again. Time for my American Idol picks.
My bottom three list did not change from last week. Eventhough John sucked this week I think this might be Diana's last week in American Idol.

Bottom three this week -
John
Diana
Jasmine

My Top 2 are -
George
LaToya

The Rest -
Fantasia
Jennifer

The Outies-
Jon
Camille
Amy
Matt
Leah

I am always surprised at who is on the bottom three. One of these days I will be right.

What a Wonderful Weekend

I really had a great weekend. It all started Friday when a couple of friends from Boston that were training in Dallas drove down to Houston. We went bar-hopping in Downtown and had dinner at Bossa - Yummy!
On Saturday we took our guests to Space Center Houston (at their request). It was not as bad as I remember it. Last time we went, around 6 years ago, it was around 100 degrees and we ended up doing the trolley tour, so I was miserable. After the Space Center we drove to Kemah. The weather was so nice it made the day awesome. Thanks weather!!! And thanks to Drew and Kish for visiting me.

On Sunday, John, Olivia, and I, went to our first Astros game. We have season tickets (we split the package with my mom and step-dad) and was so surprised to see how good our seats are. We are the front row of the crappy seats, woo, hoo. Hey, once we sat at the last row on the tallest side of the wall. I swear, up that high the stairs are so steep that I got my day's workout going up and down, needless to say, beer was hardly consumed that day.

Ebay ended and people actually want these massive items shipped, so I need to go look for boxes. I don't understand that. I am not complaining or anything, but why would someone pay $35 dollars for an item plus $25 shipping if they can buy the item new for around $59 dollars?? That always kills me, but as long as they pay I don't care. Ok, gotta go look for boxes.

Any Aliens Among Us??

Now you can report illegal aliens from the comfort of your own desk. No need to call INS. All you do is open up this link and follow the instructions. A couple of clicks here and there and the busboy from your favorite restaurant can be on his way back to where he cam from - Andale!!

This link came courtesy of Chris. Huh?? Why did he send me the link...Is he trying to hide something? I have always wondered about him. He does not look from around here and he does work for the City of Houston. You all know the City is always trying to cut corners...huh. I better report him just in case. Oh, yeah, and what about that girl that does my hair, she has a thick accent, huh, I better report the salon she works at so INS can check it out. And, what about Lupe?? Ok, you all get the idea. I guess I better start looking over my shoulder and get me some good running shoes. ;)

That Who Sings Last...

Ok, it is that time of week again. Time for my American Idol picks.
Yeah! Camille is out. I was beginning to wonder what was wrong with America. I must say that I so surprised with Jennifer Hudson. The last two weeks she has sounded awesome. I have had her on my "kicked out" list for a while, but that has changed. Oh, and by the way, isn't George awesome?

Bottom three this week -
John
Diana
Jasmine

My Top 2 are -
George
LaToya

The Rest -
Fantasia
Jon
Jennifer

The Outies-
Camille
Amy
Matt
Leah

I am always surprised at who is on the bottom three. One of these days I will be right.

How long??

Can anyone be judged by the actions they committed over 10 years ago? Aside from murdering someone, how long can the "getting drunk in college stories" or "being a little too friendly with the opposite sex while in college" affect your life today?

I know that if you are running for office your past "character" comes up all the time. Since Bush and Clinton smoked pot in college are we to assume they are still doing it know? Or maybe that they are deviant because of it?

I like to think that people can change (I am not talking serial murderers here). I am just saying that, for me, if someone got drunk and was a little too wild in college their actions should not affect their lives today. They should not be judged for their past actions specially if the are the complete opposite today.

Yes, there is a point to this rant. The other day I was at a party and we were telling stories about the birthday person. When my turn came I recalled a very nice getting drunk story that occurred over 10 years ago. The story just said that this person got drunk, threw up all over the place and then passed out. Your normal college story, so I thought.

A few days later this person gets in touch with me and tells me that they did not appreciate me saying that story at the party, specially because her boss was there. She also told me that she did not want her boss judging her and that would hate for her boss to recall that story when the time comes for a promotion. I was stunned! All I could say was it happened over 10 years ago. I apologized, but told her I did not understand.

How long is too long?

The Week in Review...

I got home on Friday afternoon from Dallas (work trip). My work week was good. I left for San Antonio on Wed., drove to Dallas on Thursday, and made it home on Friday.

On Friday, I got home and got ready to go to Cybertoad's Egg-travaganza. Since I had been driving, what seemed like all day, I did not have time to pick up any eggs or decorating stuff, but I was ok with that since I was not in the mood to be creative. The party turned out to be a good time. Thanks for the invite Elaine!

Saturday was crazy rain day. We, Houston, had two inch hail in some areas. That afternoon we went over to Claudia's baby shower and was very glad we did, because when we got home it looked like a tornado had gone through our neighborhood. There were leaves and branches every where. Anyway, back to Claudia. She is such a sweetheart. I am so glad they finally decided to have a kid. Yes, us breeders like to convert DINKs. Hahahaahaaaa (evil sounding), welcome to our world.

On Sunday John decided to have a Spring Celebration over at our house. Last year we opted to take our daughter to Orange Show- a more eclectic, non-denominational celebration. But since we are all about compromising now days, it was his year. We invited our families, made some burgers and hot dogs, and had a sort of egg-hunt. Since it was STILL raining we could not go out, so we had to make do with hiding the eggs in Olivia's playroom. I think it took them one minute to find them all. Orange Show here we come!!!

That Who Sings last...

Ok, it is that time of week again. Time for my American Idol picks.
We are all still asking ourselves "Why is Camille still in it?!!"

Bottom three this week -
Camille
John
Diana

My Top 4 are - (those who will survive till the last 4 weeks) Not in any order -
George
LaToya
Fantasia
Jasmine

The Rest -
Jon
Jennifer

The Outies-
Amy
Matt
Leah

I have been so surprised at who ends up on the bottom three, in the last few weeks, that I would not be surprised if I am completely wrong. The only thing I know is that is time for Camille to sing her last song!

Shopping...

I am so psyched!!! There is a new Anthropologie being built, almost, right in front of my house. I am not linking the website because it does not do the place justice, their site sucks! Anyway, I just love that store.

---

I will be leaving for San Antonio tomorrow, it's a work trip, ahhh-gain. After S.A. I am heading for Dallas. I hope that everything goes smoothly and I can get home early on Friday. Knock on wood. It seems that every time I predict smooth sailing it turns out to be the complete opposite, so wish me luck.

---

Oh yeah, here is an interesting story. My aunts own a flower shop and it is always fun talking to them about the stuff that they get complaints about, anyway, this is one of the calls and I was there to witness it all. It went something like this...

Lady - "I got some flowers for my birthday and was wondering if I could get you guys to replace them"
Aunt - "why ma'am? What is wrong?"
Lady - "Well, I got them last week and they are not looking so great"
Aunt - "How do they look?"
Lady - "Well, they just don't look like they used to"
Aunt - "You are aware that they are cut flowers"
Lady - "Is that like a plant?"
Aunt - "No, they are actual cut flowers and they will die"
Lady - "I have had them for a week and they don't look so good"
Aunt - "If they live for over 5 days they are doing great"
Lady - "Well, can I get you guys to exchange them?"

Well, you guys get the point. I always wonder about some people.

Kerry...not very

I just heard on talk radio that if the presidential election was held today George Bush would be the winner. The report said that even though he had been steadily loosing points with the public, lately he had gained, surprisingly, a lot of support from the voters. My immediate reaction was "yeah, Kerry keeps opening his mouth!" I could bet that if Kerry would of said nothing, nothing at all, he would of won or, if not, been damn close.

I swear, every time I hear the guy speak I dislike him a little bit more. In every advertisement he compares himself to Bush. All he does is point out Bush's faults or errors, some which Bush had nothing to do with. I have never heard him say anything he stands for without being somehow linked to Bush. He is just running on the "Bush Haters" ticket and has nothing else to back him up.

Could 9/11 of been prevented?

I think not. There is no way that 9/11 could of been prevented at all. If the government would of come out saying that they know that some terrorist were going to strike two buildings in New York people would of still showed up to work. They would of been thinking "we are not letting terrorists rule our life" or "if we change our every day life the terrorist win". The same mentality we have now - post 9/11.

It was a bright day.

I was woken up by my mother telling me that John was on the phone. She also told me that I better get down and look at the TV. I looked at Olivia, barely a month old, and picked up the phone. John was telling me about the first building being hit. I got up and ran downstairs, just with enough time to see the second plane hit the other tower. I have never known fear like that.

We were living in Boston at the time, the place were the terrorist had boarded two of the planes, the city was shaken, to say the least. Aside from the noise from the bomber planes and helicopters flying so low you could actually read what they said there was no other noise. It was an eery silence, it was like a scene from The Twilight Zone, time had stopped. All the sudden the news said that they were looking for a white van that had left the airport and had traveled up Hwy. 93, towards our area. At the same time another fighter plane went over the house, I ran as fast as I could and closed all the windows, shut the blinds, and sat there and cried.

The scene would not get any better in Boston. Everyday the police were looking all over the city for traces of the terrorist and when something was found it was a reminder that the enemy had been walking among us just a few days earlier.

Could 9/11 of been prevented? No. Will another attack happen again? Yes. The enemy is already here walking among us.

A New Way To Curve Your Spending

As I was driving from Kansas City to Columbia, MO. I was flipping radio stations and happened to stop on a talk show. I usually land on interesting stations discussing interesting subjects, specially when I am in the middle on nowhere. This time was no exception.

The host was talking about debt management and was talking to a caller. The caller started her story by saying that she had dramatically reduced her debt by seeking God's help. She said that before she purchased anything she would pray, no matter how big or small her purchase was, and by doing that she had reduced her debt by $10,000. It always amazes me on what people pray for. I mean, God has nothing else to do but help this woman stop spending money.

In another one of my journeys I actually heard a person break down the residents of heaven and hell by percentages. I mean, how does this person know who goes where and how does he know?

---

Missouri is COLD. At night is in the high 20's and during the day is in the mid 40s. The trees and flowers have not even bloomed here yet. In Houston my tulips lived and died already. Anyway, I did not know it was going to be so cold. I only brought t-shirts and jeans, so I had to make my way to a Marshall's and get myself an $11 jacket.

Kansas City Bound...

I am heading to Kansas City tomorrow for work. I have never been there before so I hope is some what interesting. I don't know anyone there so plan to spend my time thrift store hopping.

I LOVE Ebay. My auctions closed yesterday and I made a whopping $250. Wow, yippi me!!!

I hope I can find a computer with internet access. Like I have told you guys before my company no longer lets us download anything to our laptops so, I do not have a dial-up provider and the VPN only lets me see work stuff...yuck.

My sister's Bday is coming up. We will be the same age for a whole month. When I was younger, well, I still do this, during the month of April I would run up to people and say "ask her how old she is". They would, and my sister would say "8". Then I would say "Ok, ok, ask me". They would go "how old are you?". I would say "8" with a big grin on my face. The people would look at us, back and forth and back again, and ask if we were twins. I would say "no" and proceed to tell them how my mom had us 10 and a half months apart. I always, and still do, thought it was the coolest thing. I never, until recently, stopped to think that these people, in the back of their mind, were really thinking that my mom was a fast worker.

Sizzling Beef Terikayi

Oh, we had such a nice dinner Saturday night. John and I along with Kathy and Tom made plans to go to Kaneyama. I have never been to a sushi place before (well, mainly because I do not eat sushi, yeah, I think that has something to do with it), even though John is a big sushi eater and has always been bothering me to go eat with him, I mean he brings it up all the time-he bugs me like that! So, when Kathy came up with the idea of going to Kaneyama, after finding out that they served other things besides sushi, I jumped at the chance. Ha, ha, John could not use his ways and peer pressure me to eat sushi with other people around.

Saturday was a day like any other, I attempted to do laundry and feel asleep while trying...the story of my life. After a two hour nap I was awakened by John yelling "Get up is 5:30, we are late". He had also fallen asleep, I don't know how he woke up, but I was glad he did. We were supposed to meet Kathy and Tom at the restaurant at 7pm and by the way we were going we were not going to make it on time. We ended up being 15 minutes late, I took the fastest shower ever and John drove WAY over the speed limit and for once I did not nag him about it...We had a good excuse.

Dinner was really yummy. I had the best Sizzling Beef Terikayi steak ever. It was sizzling and everything. The conversation was good. They are such a nice couple. For me, there is no better way to spend a Saturday nigh - good food, good friends, and good conversation. Thanks guys for meeting with us.

That Who Sings Last - Part 2

I was so completely wrong, Matt was "vote out" (I don't know why people, including me, say "voted off" since the person with the least votes gets to go home. Shouldn't it be "voted less?"). Anyway, I was incredibly surprised that Diana was even one of the bottom three. I think she did ok with her song. I could of put money on that Camille was going home this week, but I was wrong. I did not like that Matt character much anyway.

In Other TV News...Nip/Tuck reruns started today on FX. The season begin in June. Woo, Hoo, I can not wait. It is an awesome show.

---

I am going to Kansas City next week for work. I have never been there before, huh, I hope is interesting.

That Who Sings Last...

Ok, here are my American Idol pics. I have my top 5, the rest, and who I think will be "voted off" today.

I think this week is a toss up between these two - We will see!

Camille
Jennifer

My Top 5 are - (those who will survive till the last 5 weeks) Not in any order -

George
LaToya
Diana
Fantasia
Jasmine

The Rest -

Amy
John
Matt
Jon

The Outies-

Leah

I Have Seen Heaven...

I have seen heaven and it is in a Maytag dryer. Oh my gawd have you guys seen this thing...its beautiful! You can read all about the nifty Neptune Electric Drying Center here. The slogan even says "It lets you say goodbye to you drying worries". It is made just for me.

I have never been excited over a home appliance before, but I must say this is a dream come true. I just love it. You can dry you clothes while they are hanging and it has shelves for sweaters. I know what you guys are thinking..."this must be some homely chick". You guys do not understand. I tend to be kinda anal when it comes to laundry. If I know I will not be around when the dryer turns off I just wait and do laundry later. I just hate when the dryer sits there for hours with my clothes all wrinkled, it bugs me. My husband says "you can always turn the dryer on again to get the wrinkles out". He just does not understand that it does not work that way. You have be there ready to get them out of the dryer ASAP. I am also a ironing freak, but that is another story.

This awesome appliance comes with whopping $1,500 price tag. I guess I will wait until there is some competition and the prices come down some or I can always but my PayPal donate logo on my bog ;) It is for a good cause!

My Weekend

I had a really great weekend. On Friday night we went out to dinner with my friend Chop Suey and her family. I have known Chop since middle school, but had not seen her since one day in November 03 when my family was having dinner at Cafe Express in Uptown and she was sitting across from us. I thought she looked familiar but, not wanting to sound weird, waited till I was really sure. I then asked her "Is your name Chop Suey?" she looked at me and said "my maiden name" then she said my first name. We oo-ed and ahhh-ed and exchanged info.

I have always though it to be weird that I have never EVER bumped into anyone from school, any school. I thought that since I now live in the way north side of town and I went to High School up here I would be bumping into old classmates right and left, but it has not been the case. So, I was extremely surprised when I bumped into Chop Suey.

I must say that it was a bit strange being reunited with someone from so long a go. I was tempted to take my 1985 class yearbook to the dinner, but decided against it. I would not of even used it anyway, the conversation was great and middle school was not even mentioned once.

---

On Saturday, Matt a friend from Boston was in town. Against my better judgment I let John twist my arm and convince me to go out. My bronchitis is still acting up and I was just planning to see a movie and go to sleep. Anyway, we met Matt and his friends at The Gingerman. Later, we were joined by my sister. It was a good time.

---

On Sunday I just hung out. Worked on my personal website and put some items for sale on Ebay.

William Sung Not So Good

Ok, what is up with the world?? I have been thinking about writing about this whole new phenomenon taking over the nation, but haven't. Ok, we all know that you need to have some sort of talent or be good looking to be noticed in the media, but what is up with Will Hung?

When he came out on American Idol and sang and danced I watched. When the judges dogged him I felt bad. And when he said "I gave it my all" I said "ahhhhh", I was hooked. I was actually glad that he had gotten more that the maximum 15 minutes of fame allowed. But, this is out of control. A guy with zero looks and absolutely no talent has actually gotten a record deal. Has anyone heard him? The guy CAN NOT sing. At all! I think whoever gave him the deal is crazy, but whoever buys the CD will be insane.

On the other hand, I am glad that the underdog has gotten something from the man, but getting his hopes up? That is just mean!

La Otra Espana

La Otra Espana is one of my favorite songs from Mocedades. I just love it. It takes me back to Panama when I was a little girl.

I have not been following the tragedy in Spain very closely, but I have been reading FreeDreams and Message in a Blog both are written by guys from Spain and give an account from a different viewpoint (both sites are written in Spanish, but I think one of them has a translator).

I also overheard, from one of the news shows, the following...The 3/11 attach on Spain was exactly 911 days from our own 9/11 tragedy. I have NOT done the math, but it someone confirms it let me know. Now, I am not one to believe in this type of stuff, I mean The Bible Code? - bah! humbug! So, if there is actually something there maybe another tragedy will happen 911 days from 3/11? Do you guys think? Maybe 9-11 has some find of significance, somewhere to someone.

Up to date there are 201 dead and 220 injured. Sigh.

I Need My Wheaties - Part 2

My cold came back full force, I can not even talk now. I sound like retardada girl, I sound like I am whispering all the time.

On Friday night I was planning to relax, just dinner and Netflix, so I could save up some energy to go to the HTown meeting at Brasil today but, as my luck would have it, work called. It seems that an upgrade we did on Wednesday morning did not go exactly as planned and calls in Mexico were not processing, so we had to do an emergency window to roll back to the old software. Anyway, my boss calls me at 7pm and tells me the, oh, so, good news. Because of the window I had to go to sleep early (Netflix went out the window). Work called me at 2:45am.

After working I could not go to sleep at all, so I watched an episode of Three's Company and Life's Little Miracles (Discovery Health Channel) while I ate some reheated Chinese food. It is so sad to see John Ritter. And Life was just as sad with all these little kids needing new hearts, and brain surgeries. Well, I did not hit the pillow till 6am.

I am sucking. I need some Wheaties.

I Need My Wheaties!

You guys will not believe that my cold came back. I can hardly even speak now. As I was driving home from the H-Town gathering at the Flying Saucer I felt my throat closing up. I got home, said hi! to John - he was STILL working, nuked some Healthy Choice (nothing better at 1:30am), watched some TV, Unwrapped to be precise, and headed for bed. I woke up 2 hours later, I could not even swallow. It feels like someone is choking me. Not a good feeling. Oh, yeah, and I don't sound that good either.

Ok, enough of that. It was so much fun last night. I saw some old faces and some new ones. The Canadian guys were a blast, hey. Oh, yeah, background, two Canadians (Rannie and Jay) are driving from Canada to Austin for SXSW and made a few pit stops along the way, and of course, one of their pit stops was Houston. I mean how cool is that?!

No Exercise For Me!

I have been completely jet-lagging when it comes to exercise. I hate to admit, and admitting is the first sign that you have a problem, that I have not exercised in two weeks. Everything started when I got a cold. There is nothing worst that not being able to breath while exercising or coughing something up and having nowhere to put it. Anyway, I am not making excuses, but that is when I started to go down hill. Do not get me wrong I am not Miss Universe or anything, but I am comfortable with my body. I mean I can walk, breath ok, get around, and go up the stairs without fainting...What more can I ask for?? My body gets me from point a to b without any problems and I thank exercise for that.

My exercise routine is usually as follows - I do 30 minutes a day everyday. I do the stationary bike every other day and do pilates and weights the other days. Looking at it that sound awesome, wow I kick ass, but there is a problem. I LOVE food, well, desserts and chocolate to be more exact, so pretty much the exercise I do cancels the food out and I end up looking the same I always do. Which I am ok with.

But the problem is that since I have not exercised in two weeks, and my eating has not changed, I am beginning to feel a little heavy. Ok, ok, so I must exercised, but I am jet-lagging, so that takes me back to the beginning of this story.

Ok, I will let you guys know if anything changes.

Oh Martha!!

I was just reading Logical Sara's blog and decided that I needed to give the issue my two cents.

I have never been a Martha Stewart liker, but I think the woman is being treated unfairly. In a time of Enron's she has become a scapegoat. Insider trading has been going on ever since the stock market was invented. I mean, if you had a million shares and knew that tomorrow they would be worth nothing wouldn't you sell?? Everyone would. Martha is just being made an example because she came across as being "perfect" with a multitude of talents. To some she is a "superwoman", she can bake, sew, garden, decorate, cook, paint, well, you get the point (even though behind the scenes there are dozens of people doing the actual job). And wouldn't we, as a tabloid society, love to catch superwoman doing something inappropriate and put her in jail?

Well, I hope she gets to decorate her federal prison cell however she wishes. Maybe she can write a book from jail on how to make cramped spaces look bigger. Good Luck Martha.

What I am not Reading - Part 1

Ok, I am thinking of giving up on my Superstring book. I have been reading it for a while and even though it is extremely interesting it is not holding my attention at the moment. This is the second time around that I have started to read it. I have been back in a theology type mood ever since I read The Da Vinci Code, so physics will have to wait until I get into it again...well, I did buy Get a Grip on Physics, a book that was on sale for $4.98, and Core CSS at BN this afternoon.

I have committed a sin, well, a TiVo sin, if there is such a thing. I actually Tivoed Forever Eden *gasp*. I have never TiVoed a reality show before and I actually feel dirty - blush, but I am actually into that show, I know, I know, it sucks, but it has so many twists and turns it is somehow interesting. I just wonder how long it is going to last since the intro of the show says they can be there forever.

A Wonderful Weekend

I had a wonderful weekend. On Saturday we drove to New Braunfels for a friend's baby shower. I just love the hill country, plus the weather was great. After the baby shower we drove to San Antonio and stayed at Plaza San Antonio. It is such a nice hotel. I had never stayed there before. When I go to S.A. I usually stay at either the Marriott Riverwalk or Marriott Rivercenter, why Marriott? you ask, well, mainly because I am an Elite Gold Member and I get a lot of extra perks. The Plaza is also a Marriott hotel but it is more like a resort with a spa, tennis courts and an awesome pool and it is only two blocks from the riverwalk. Anyway, back to my story, that night we had a nice Italian dinner right on the riverwalk, next to the river. That was nice. Did I mention that the weather was awesome??

The next day we got up and headed for the Alamo to take Olivia's 2 1/2 year picture in front of the site. I dunno, it is just a tradition we started. We have a picture of her in front of the Alamo at 6 months, 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 years. Plus, it guarantees that I am going back next year. I just love San Antonio. Oh, yeah, they were also doing a re-enactment in front of the Alamo, so there were tons of people in period clothing. That was fun.



After the Alamo we headed for Sea World. I had never been and it was awesome. I highly recommend it. You can feed the dolphins and the Sea Lions. The Dolphins are just so close to you, so close you can pet them. We also had dinner with Shamu. That was neat. Since the park is owned by Anhouser-Busch I took a beer making class and I am now certified beer maker, plus I got free beer. I think Sea World is well worth the admission and the shows are awesome. Hey, did I mention the weather??

Woman get mauled by dirty dishes

I am a slacker. I have not really blogged at all this week. I guess I have not been out in the world so, I feel I have nothing interesting to say.

This week I have been chillin' at home. I had to work a couple of days, but that was about it for work. I am supposed to be working right now, but I found a bug so I am using that as an excuse to do other things around the house. I need to do dishes, but working is looking more interesting. I am trying to do the things that I have been putting off all week before John gets back from his work trip, looks at the house, and asks me "what did you do all week?" At that point I will mutter something about how I was so busy with work that hardly had time for anything else.

I have been so out of touch with the world. Last time I went out to a bar/party was to The Main Event on SuperBowl weekend. That was fun. The Month of February I was very mellow opting to stay at home and watch a movie or having dinner with friends. The month of March, well, we will see, but I am already making plans for St. Paddy's Day (March 17). I am thinking of asking for that day off, yeah, good idea!! I have a month of vacation and have not even taken a day yet. Ok, I will take that day off and head to downtown, pick an Irish bar, and drink some green beer. Yeah, that sounds like a plan to me. If any one is interesting on joining me let me know. The dishes are screaming my name...gotta go.

What Type of Alcoholic Beverage Are You?

I got this neat quiz from Gil. Neat, but I have never fancied a Guinness, don't know, but I might try it next time I am out with the lads. I have always, until today, considered myself a Miller Lite type of girl, but I guess I was wrong. Ladies stay away from any guy with a "You are a Pint of Guinness" title since dodging a fight, freeloading from my friends, and being totally loud in a bar bequeathed me the title "I am a Pint of Guinness". Just looking out for you ;).

What Type of Alcoholic Beverage Are You? brought to you by Quizilla

Fever Night, Fever Night, Fever....

I feel like crap today. I have been under the weather for a couple of days now, but I think it finally caught up with me. Very early this morning I had to drop John off at the airport and when I got back home I went to bed and fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow. I woke up and caught two episodes of the Quantum Leap Marathon on the SciFi channel. I just loved that show.
Yesterday, when I went to Walgreens I should of gotten something stronger for my cold, instead I got Tylenol Cold, stupid, stupid, stupid me. Anything with the name Tylenol should really only be used for headaches, pain, and fevers. My nose was still dripping after I took the darn Tylenol Cold. Live and learn.

On a happier note...Yesterday John and I had dinner with Elaine and her husband Kenny. We had a nice dinner and chat at Cafe Piquet. Thanks guys it was fun.

The Ironies of Life - 1

Yesterday, for the first time ever, I bought a bag of Always Super Overnight Maxi Pads. I have always used Always slender maxi pads for my everyday period needs, but I thought that it would be better if I bought the larger ones for overnight, you know, for that secure feeling, and left the slender ones for my day needs. Anyway, let me describe these Super things...they are huge. I mean, they go from my belly button to the other side of my back, they are still slender though, so hardly, gasp, noticeable.
The next day, after wearing the Overnights for the first time, I woke up and headed for the toilet, like I usually do. As I am sitting there I look down and see my underwear - there is a huge blood stain on the back! The liquid had completely skipped the pad and gone straight for my underwear!! I am sitting there in shock/disbelief with a "how can that happen?" look on my face. As I am pondering this I decide to check my pajama pants and see that they have also fallen victim to the horror. Oh, Great!! The last time something like that happen I was a teenager and had gotten my period during the night. I could not believe it. So much for that "secure" feeling I thought.

11 Year Old Girl Will Soon Be A Boy

Yesterday on 48 Hours Investigates they showed an 11 year old girl that "feels" she is a boy. The girl at 11 has started to wear boys clothes and get a short hair cut, well, she has pretty much started to live her life as a boy - she even changed her name. The only thing is that she is entering puberty and breasts are starting to develop. To solve this dilemma the mom takes her to a doctor, that after a psychiatric evaluation, approves her to start hormone therapy. Taking the drugs will stop her from getting her period and make her body more male than female.

Ok, here is my take...Isn't she a little bit too young! I mean, teenage years are rough without having to worry what restroom you are going to go into. Much Luck to Him.

No Hollywood for me!

I went to Jury selection this morning and I am disappointed to say that I was not chosen for a trial, well, actually, no one was (from my group). It turns out that both cases entered a guilty plea, so our assistance was not necessary. Boo, hoo. I was already thinking of a book title.

Oh, yes, I forgot to mention I saw Lost in Translation Saturday night. I loved the cinematography - scenery and camera movement were awesome, the sound - great use of music, the Karaoke - who doesn't love karaoke, but I did not enjoy the story line at all. One thumb up, one thumb down.

His name is John !!!!

Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhh the ending of Sex and The City was super sweet. The last episode had the right mixture of sappiness and humor (just enough to keep me from crying). I have been a Sex devotee from the start and the show will be incredibly missed. To celebrate the finale, as well as to satisfy my new year's resolution of doing new things, I made a special cake decorated with the fab four girls of Sex (Samantha is wearing her Foxy Brown wig, I just love that one!). Yes, the cake looks kinda hokey but, hey, it was my first time decorating a cake. It tasted hummy though.

My watching of the last episode of Sex and The City will be hampered by the fact that I have to work at 2AM (Monday) and I have to show up to see if I will be picked for jury duty on monday at 8AM. Ok, I am not letting that stop me from enjoying the best finale of this decade.

I am, for some weird reason, looking forward to going to jury selection. This will be my first time and I am trying to keep an open mind about the whole process, even though everyone has been telling me it is not as exciting as I am imagining it to be. I am hoping to get pick for a high profile case in which the jurors need to be sequestered. The case will be so huge and such a traumatic experience for me that I will write get a book. The book will later be made into movie that will become a blockbuster. The movie goes on to win an Oscar and I become Hollywood rich. Woo, hoo, watch out world here I come!!! Ok, ok, I guess the O.J. Simpson case has really warped my perception of what really goes on, but I can dream.

Got the cutest fabric and made one of those picture thingies. I don't know what my creation is called but it has ribbons that cross one another and you put the pics in between the ribbons. Does anyone know what they are called? I have been searching online but I don't even know where to begin. Anyway, I made it and it turned out real cute. The reason I made it was because I fell in love with the fabric and need it to use it quick before it joined the other yards of fabric stored waiting for a "project" idea. Every time I open the box where the fabrics are stored I see them get a little fluffier and I quickly apologize and inform them that one of these days their day will come and quickly close the box. That could not happen with this fabric. I am actually thinking of making it my blog theme. I am getting tired of this one.

The word for today is too tired. Or is that 2 words? Anyway, don't know, don't care. I was working till 3 am this morning and stayed up and extra 2 hours working on my personal website. There is no end in sight. Every time I reopen a page I see something that needs changing or something that I am not happy with. Anyway, I keep telling myself that eventually it will get done but I keep taking more picks. Bringing my total number of pages that need to get done up to 15. I am so tired.

I just finished watching Sex and The City. Carrie looked amazing, her dresses were gorgeous. I just love that show. I am NOT looking forward to next week when the last show airs. Today's show was so romantic. I kept telling you guys that she just had to end up with Mr. Big. Well, he showed up today, ohhh my gawd, it was awesome. Will keep you guys posted. Good Night.

I am completely baffled by the news story I just heard and hope that if anyone was on that American Airlines flight they demand a refund. The full story can be read on CNN. To make a long story short or just in case you don't want to read the story...an American Airline pilot, while flying a plane from L.A. to N.Y, said that he had just come back from a mission trip and asked all Christians to raise their hands. Then told people that if they were not Christian they were "crazy". He then encouraged all to look around and use the flight "wisely". This is crazy!! not only do I have Christians knocking on my door trying to convert me but now I have to deal with them after I pay for a plane ticket? I mean, if I had gotten a free flight on Christian Airlines I would understand, but this is ridiculous. People are allowed to have their own beliefs and have their opinions known and one is allowed to listen to them if one wants or NOT, but where the hell are you supposed to go to get away from them if you are in a plane?? If I would of been on that plane I would of asked for a refund.

Women Must Unite!!!! There is a conspiracy out there I am getting to the bottom of it. Do you guys know that I paid over $10 to get a razor and that was the cheapest I could find. What is up with that!

I went to Target to get a razor, but could not find any below $8.00, not even disposable ones. There was another lady looking with me and we just stood there staring at the aisle of razors in horror. Anyway, I thought, "I will just go to Sam's and get me a big pack that will last forever" so, I did, but the only thing I found was a $26 dollar pack of just blade refills, no razor. At that point I told John "I am no longer going to shave (I have done it before to stand up against oppression, but John never goes for that and bugs me every day until I shave). Plus, where is it written that women have to shave anyway?? It is just a way for men to, again!, control us and keep us shackled in the chains that are this society!!". He just rolled his eyes.

I just wish I didn't have to shave and that no one would looked at me funny when I don't. I just remember this one time when I missed a couple of hairs on my leg and was wearing shorts. I mean, do not get me wrong, my hairs do not show that much, but are noticeable if I am just sitting there, with my legs crossed, and the leg committing the offense is on top. Anyway, someone sitting across from me just kept staring at my leg. It was not till I got home that I realized that some hairs had dodged the blade and were waving hello at everyone that passed.

Finished reading The Da Vinci Code a couple of nights ago. I LOVED the non-fiction parts of it, but hated the fiction parts. I hated the fact that "Langdon", one of the main characters, seems like a 007 type. I mean, he seemed to be able to get out, miraculously of situations that every one else would of died at. Also, what was up with the love interest at the end???? It just seemed too Hollywood. I heard they are making a movie and from the looks of it they will not need to work too hard to adapt the book in to a screenplay. I hope they do not use any hokey actors, you know, one of those pretty boys.

Anyway, I did like the non-fiction part of the book. I was glad I had read, among other books, When God was a Woman and Don't Know Much About the Bible: Everthing You Ever Wanted to Learn About the Good Book But Never Learned because they really helped me understand the background/history of what was going on in The Code. I will read the Gnostic Gospel after the current book I need to finally finish reading.

It looks like I will be heading for LA next week. I don't know how I feel about it. I am glad I am going because it has been a while since I have been there and I will get to see my cousin and my good friend Sylvia. But, I don't want to go because I will leave Olivia behind and I have so much to do at home. Plus, this is crazy, my company has gotten a stick up its A@S and we no longer have access to the internet. Before I was able to take my laptop and, with AT&T dial up, surf the internet, but now NOTHING!!! They are sucking. I sent my laptop in for and upgrade and when I got it back everything that I had downloaded had been taken out. Nazis.

Olivia had her first gymnastics class yesterday. She was too cute. I was so afraid that she was going to be afraid to go in, or make a scene, but she did not, she walked in with the other kids (the moms stay outside and look at them through a glass wall) and was all happy. I guess I was the one afraid of letting go. My little baby is growing up. I feel all sad, all this time I have been right there protecting her and, if it came to it, beat someone up in a moments notice, I was super MOM, but I guess it is time for me to realize that I will not always be around to stick up for her. That is scary, but I have to realize that she has to grow up, live her life, and eventually become a super hero just like me!

Actually, I was wrong. The yard does look a lot better with the mulch. It looks well maintained and manicured. The bad side to all this is that my back is killing me. When I woke up my back and my legs were in serious pain. I guess it was worth it. We also saved $280 dollars doing it ourselves (our yard guy was going to charge us $350 to do it). We got our mulch for $70 with free delivery. Ok, ok, enough with the mulch stories.

The Week in Review...Sun. - SuperBowl XXXVIII in Houston, Texas. Watched on TV form the comfort of my home. Mon. - Worked on my personal website some. There is still much work to get done. Tues.- Worked some. The auction I had on EBay ended, I made $150 selling my old used clothes. I am actually happy about this because I would of given the clothes to Goodwill, so making $150 excellent - Yippie for me!!! Wed. - Worked some. Thurs .- Went to see a financial advisor, scary!, all those years of denial are finally catching up with me. After the meeting I was like "I am hungry, but can I really afford to go out to eat??" They get you all scared thinking about your future and how Social Security will not even pay for rent. Scary stuff. You guys might not see me out that much, I now know why people drink at home alone - it is A LOT cheaper. Fri. - Vegged at home. Watched Anything Else. Sat. - The word for the day was MULCH. I am now a MULCH goddess. I think mulch is one of those visual guy things, just like a 60 inch widescreen TV. To me the TV looks just the same as a 32 inch, but bigger, same as with mulch, I don't see a difference, but to John it makes all the difference in the world. Tomorrow another day of MULCH. Good Night.

Now Ms. Janet has come out saying that it was ALL her idea (exposing her breast)...MTV had nothing to do with it. It all smells funky to me!! She had already said that MTV knew. Well, maybe they made a deal with her, watch her get her own MTV special promoting her new album and get extra exposure...sell out!!! Justin must of thought it was a good idea too, I mean, I did see him pulling her clothes off...where is his statement taking part of the blame???

Anyway enough of that subject. Moving on...I am reading The Da Vinci Code . I love it and hate it at the same time. I love it because it is so good and hate it because I can not go to sleep. Every time I say, ok, I will just read to the end of this chapter something happens and I must continue to read. I have been up till 3am reading. I hear they are making a movie of the book. It could be interesting, I am always weird about those book to movie deals.

Janet's titty, Janet's titty its all people are talking about now days, so it seems fitting that I give the subject my 2 cents. First of all, I am pretty open about everything, nothing really shocks me any more, but I do think that the SuperBowl is not the place to be exposing yourself (yes, it was rehearsed, no "wardrobe malfunction" here). It's a family event that has been getting raunchier and raunchier with every passing year.

I guess this has become such a big deal because everyone is tired of being bombarded by half naked people on "free" tv every time they look. Now you have the FCC getting involved, MTV is blaming Janet, Janet is saying that MTV knew, Justin is saying there was a "malfunction", but laughed it off saying that they were there to shock. The only person I have not heard from is the designer of the dress (he/she could answer some questions).

By the way, in all this turmoil I have not heard one negative thing said about Justin. Why is Janet taking all the heat?? Justin was in charge of pulling on the dress, I mean, her breast would not of been exposed without his help.

Her breast (by the way, is a piercing not a cover-up, ouuuch)....

Went to The Main Event last night...it was awesome. It was great to see so much life and so many people in downtown. I still remember going to see Duran Duran at the Coliseum, back in the 80's. Right after the concert we were walking downtown and everything was dark and there were homeless people every where.

I have been seeing the changes take place in Downtown little by little. I have been a promoter of revitalizing Downtown every since I moved back form Boston. I hang out in Downtown Houston quite often mainly because most of my friends work Downtown and it is convenient to meet them there, but yesterday, seeing Downtown so lively brought tears to my eyes, my little baby had grown up.

We got to Downtown pretty early at around 7:00pm, we were lucky that my sister has contract parking, yeah, so parking was not a problem. We walked up Main Street and joined all the people in taking photos of the fountains as the rail went over them (good for you Houston!!). We walked looking for a bar that 1. We could get in and 2. That had no cover. We walked to Warren's, no cover, but it was packed, we walked in and to our surprised we found some friends. They were there and had a table (yippie for us!). We drank, sang songs, drank, met people, drank, bugged people (those crazy Panther fans), drank, took pictures, and drank some beer. After Warren's we hit the streets again, this time there were three times the amount of people out there. It was crazy. We walked, again trying to find a place with no cover, and we ended up at the Hunan Buddah SuperBowl Bash, not Zen at all. There were good tunes and of course beer. Oh, yeah, this girl, I am hoping was drunk, started stripping. She got up on one of the chairs next to the window and pulled her pants down!! We were like, no she didn't!!! But she did it again a few minutes later!!! The manager had to intervene. The stripping was over and so was our night in the new and improved Houston.

This week has been incredibly slow. I only worked on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and had to send in my laptop on Wednesday (they are installing Windows XP). Other than work I finally put some items for sale on EBay. I am actually proud of myself for this one...I had told myself that Ebay was going to have to take second place to my personal website that I am revamping. It has not been updated since Oct. of 2002 (yeap, I suck). I am so bad, but I promise that when it is done it will way better that before.

Today we picked up a friend, Eric, that is here from Boston for the SuperBowl. The only difference between he and the million other Bostonians that are escaping the bitter nasty cold is that he actually has a ticket to the SuperBowl. The only person it seems that is here from out of town that actually has one. The airport though was not as crazy as I was imagining, but there were around 5 charter buses all with New England "Pats" fans and, of course, all dressed up ready for the game. Anyway, when we picked Eric up the first thing out of his mouth was..."what is up with the weather?". I dunno. Last weekend was awesome. I think it will clear up by tomorrow, well, I will keep my fingers crossed.

For some strange reason I found myself glued to the tv last night watching "Average Joe - Hawaii". I have never seen the full show before, on the last series I watched it for the first time while exercising in some hotel because someone was there first and I could not change the channel, well, the person exercising with me was really into the show and HE explained what was happening. The only twist I did not know was...that the Average Joe's do not know that they are going to be the average ones. I just found this out when my sister told me. My argument was "why would anyone put themselves up to that?!!" then she told me the shocking truth "because they don't know they are the (I HATE to use the word ugly because I will be contributing to the cruelty) Average Joe's". Oh, sorry, forgot to mention the plot of the show...well, after the Average Joe's get comfy with the girl (a cute girl they are supposed to conquer) the show puts a spin on things by adding (I think) 10 model looking guys. Then the battle it out for the girl. On last nights episode the Above Average guys were added. As the 10 Above Average guys are coming out (one by one and very slowly) you can see the hearts of the Average Joe's sink. I got a horrible feeling seeing all of the Average Joe's insecurities come out. That was the worst part. My heart went out to these guys. The show is horrible. I felt bad, that is so cruel. They might of had a chance if the Above Average hadn't shown up, I mean she does have to chose one. Anyway, Average Joe will be on my list of worst reality show of 2004.

Once again, I just LOVE Sex and The City. It is so sappy that I almost, almost cried again last night. I am kinda pissed of that Mr. Big has not returned, plus I thought that Carrie and Barrishnikov had broken off last week. I mean she said she wanted kids, he doesn't, she had this whole revelation that she does not know 100 % if she wants kids, but wants the option to be open, he had a vasectomy and thinks he is too old to have kids. I mean if that does not sound like break-up I don't know what does. I don't know. But, Mr. Big just HAS to come back. I will be glued to my TV every Sunday till the end of the show.

I attended my first Tiara Happy Hour yesterday. We met at the Flying Saucer, it was interesting. I did see the girls that I have met at Bad Art Night on Wednesday, Kathy and Elaine - they both seem like really sweet girls and hope to see them at other events. Before we, my sister and my friend Carmen N, made it to The Flying Saucer I hung out at Cabo waiting for them. Later, Carmen N. and I took a Bike Taxi to the happy hour. That was awesome! He only charged us $3, but I gave him $6 because he did take a lot of abuse from me. I kept yelling at him to go faster, FASTER!! and when we stopped at a red light I would told the cab next to us that we could take it...ha, ha, ha too funny. He was such a good sport. Anyway, Downtown is looking a lot more livelier now days. There were hardly any empty parking spaces when I got to town at 5:45 pm. Anyway, after The Flying Saucer we made our way to La Carafe. A really nice bar, that is forgotten a lot. Every time I go there I remember my 21st bday party. This bartender named Ted from Amarillo gave me free beer all night. Those were the days!!

There was a really interesting show on the Discovery Health Channel called The Libido last night. It had all the stuff that we already know like - Men look to mate more because they want to spread their seed vs. women that are looking for a strong male with good genetics to father their children. Of course this are very general statements, there are always men that have only a couple of partners their whole life or women in their teens that have sex to fit in and end of pregnant (what daytime talk shows are made of). Anyway, the interesting part of this show was that they had an experiment. They placed a 20 something, ok looking woman in a college campus. She would go up to a guy and say "I have seen you around campus and think you are really good looking would you like to go on a date with me?" 50% of the men asked said yes. She then said "I live just down the street, do you want to go to my apartment?" 69% of the men said yes to this one. Then she said "I think you are really good looking, so you want to have sex?" and 75% of the men said yes!! When they did the same experiment with a male asking women the same questions the percentages were: 50% for the first question, 6% for the second, and 0% for the third. The women actually sounded offended when asked about the sex part. Then a psychologist comes out saying that men are generally looking to spread their seed at a low cost. The psychologist then said that if women were asked - "Would you have sex with ______ (fill in the blank. Someone who is really good looking, I will say Johnny Depp) knowing ahead of time that you will NOT get pregnant and would get a Porsche at the end??" - most women would say YES!! The reasoning behind that was that women are gatherers (her reasoning) and are not willing to give it away for free - "Pay my bills, Pay my bills, Pay my telephone bills" song comes to mind (That is my reasoning).

I attended Bad Art Night at the Tropioca yesterday. I am so glad the event was called Bad Art because if it was called Good Art I don't think I would of been able to attend. I felt SO uninspired last night, but at least I went and now know what is all about. I will definitely be ready for the next one. Overall, it was fun, I got to meet some people, but I left feeling a little too assured that I am void of any creative talents when it comes to art - Boo Hoo, but Bad Art Night here I come. Here are some pics taken by Elaine - Bad Art Night Pics.

How about that State of the Union address. I need to send a letter to someone. I have come up with a way to cut the address in half!! Yeap, I sure did, and you guys are going to be the first ones to hear it...here it goes - Every time you go to a graduation or ceremony they always ask that you hold your applause to the end, well, if the Senators, Congress people, and all invitees would follow this rule, I promise you, the address will be cut in half. Who do I send the letter to?? Also, what is the point of handing your kid to the President? I mean when she grows up are you going to tell her..."You are special, President Bush touched you 15 years ago" Woo, hoo (sarcastic). Mothers do not do that to your children, plus how much do we really know about this guy anyway??

Just like every other Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day I woke up hearing about the two parades that would take place in Houston to commemorate this great man. I just don't understand why the powers that be do not get together and agree in having just one big parade. It seems to me that Dr. Luther would not of wanted two different groups not agreeing on something as trivial as a parade. Anyway, as with any other MLK day I think of how far we, as minorities, have come, but how it was not that long ago that there were different drinking fountains and restrooms. Well, I also think that almost 84 years ago women got the right to vote in this country and how far we still have to go. Yes, this all has a point, stick with me...Later on that day my sister and I decide to go to Sears to look at refrigerators (not just any fridge, she is looking for a steel one) and to our surprise no one asked us if we need help. We start talking about it and I tell her that when John (my husband and a white man) walks into Sears he has no less that 2 people asking him if he needs help, they even shake his hand and call him Sir!!! She gasped and tells me that the same thing happened when G@$!, her ex-fiancee (another white man - name was omitted to spare the innocent), walked into a store. Now, I say, isn't time that stores, start paying more attention to women buyers? We might not make the most money, but we are the ones that make ALL of the decisions when anything is bought. I mean, the items do have to match everything else in the house!!

I love Sex and The City. Why?, you ask...I just don't know. It go through all my emotions in one 30 minute show. This TV show is best watched alone that way I can let everything out. There are times when the show is so grossly corny that I just cry, but I love it anyway. There are only 6 shows left and I am missing it already. I dunno about you guys, but am I the only one waiting for Mr. Big to come back??

I HATE Eckerd.

Well, yesterday was interesting, went to Wings N More to pick up some wings and ended at the bar next door to the wing place. The bar, Swig, is located on a strip on 45 South (well, south to me) between 1960 and the Beltway. I must say it was a nice place to hang out and get a drink. They have pool, darts, and FREE shuffle board, what more can a girl ask for. They also had a very good cover band called Bad Boyfriend. Overall, It was a good time. The wings, well, that is another story, they were pretty much cold and sweaty by the time we got home, but hey, at least I did not have to cook. Yummy!!

We are having some crazy weather here in Houston. During the break we went to Las Vegas, it was crazy over there too. It snowed for the first time in five years - yeah, lucky me! Anyway, we get home and the temperature is 75 degrees. A couple of days ago I went out for a walk and the weather was just awesome - around 70 degrees. I was walking around talking about how great the weather was, and how awful it had been in Boston, New Mexico and Vegas, and how lucky we were lo live here in Houston, and how Boston was still under snow, when all of the sudden I hear an evil laugh. It kinda took me by surprise until I realized I was the one laughing. Yeah, Houston is awesome this time of year, I said. Well, that awesome weather did not last long, it is 30 today. Tonight, I will be crying my self to sleep thinking of warmer weather.

Woo, hoo, the superbowl will be in Houston this year. I am not at all into football, but it will be fun to go out and hang.

Reality TV - YUCK!! I am extremely tired of it. Let's leave acting to the professionals. My top 5 WORST reality TV shows (not in any order, they all just suck): The Simple Life - They can not be that stupid; Average Joe - These guys actually signed up for that!; The Bachelor - The women are funny - to be nice. I am always hoping someone cries; Star Date - You can always tell the "date" is so disappointed when they reveal the actor she/he will be going out with. I mean who did they expect??; The Osbournes - Well, maybe not the show, but the aftermath, even though I could not understand half the stuff the dad said. The boy goes to rehab, the dad "remembers" he was molested as a child, the girl looses her record contract, and the mum, even though she gets her own show which pretty much sucks, is always almost or crying for everyone. Just let it go Osbournes. Move On.

WOW, a New Year! Welcome 2004!!

Las Vegas was great!! We actually got back in town at around 10:30 PM last night. The driving was fun, and the trip was great, but it snowed in New Mexico and Las Vegas...yuck!! You all know how I feel about snow - it sucks. It was a lot colder than Houston out there, so I don't think I will be having another US vacation in the winter. Anyway, the trip was great. We saw all the hotels, went to The Improv, and drove to The Valley of Fire - pretty cool stuff.

Hope this year is as good as the last - good job, great fun, and awesome friends. What more can a person ask for.